International Planned Parenthood Federation, Western Hemisphere Region

The International Planned Parenthood Federation/Western Hemisphere Region (IPPF/WHR) and its Member Associations have built a network of trusted institutions that provide high quality services to millions of people across Latin America and the Caribbean, with particular emphasis on poor and underserved populations. Funds will enable IPPF/WHR to advance government accountability for budget dedicate to achieving MDG 5b* in Latin America within the following five countries Peru, Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. This will be accomplished by advocating for more transparent public budgets and overall accountability to ensure that governments meet their development commitments related to sexual and reproductive health. *Footnote: MDG5b refers to a target of Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5, which is to improve maternal health. MDG5b sets a target of achieving universal access to reproductive health by 2015; this target will not be met in any of the above countries by 2015, even given the critical importance of reproductive health in development.

This grant would provide unrestricted funds for the Western Hemisphere Region of International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF/WHR), a group of forty organizations focused on sexual and reproductive health across North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean with its regional office based in New York City. IPPF/WHR member associates provide 19.4 million services each year; these range from sexuality education, contraceptive services, and prenatal care to HIV testing, post-abortion care, and screening for gender-based violence. The members of IPPF/WHR also act as advocates for sexual and reproductive rights at the local and international levels.